One Shot: Appendectomy
by adcgordon
Summary: Was there ever a time in their relationship when they thought they wouldn't be together forever? Just one. The one that ultimately let her know that they were meant to be.


**Well, my friends, you can tell my mind is just all over the place when it comes to Zanessa stories. First off, I own nothing Zanessa related or HSM related except some DVD's (which are nearly worn out already), posters, and several trinkets. I have the utmost respect for the actors, the characters they created and the awesome production crew that brought this generation changing phenomena - and beautiful couple - to our attention.**

**Thanks to ZZBABEY18 for this idea. I don't think she was the first to suggest it, but for some reason the thoughts took off in my head THIS time. I hope it lives up to your expectations!**

**Please read, enjoy and review or PM me. Your comments just feed my addiction! And, most importantly, keep the Zanessa love flowing! -adc**  


* * *

They were snuggled together in the bed on the verge of sleep. Vanessa's head was resting comfortably on his naked chest letting her fingers tenderly wander over his abdomen.

She softly ran her index finger over the two-inch scar just above his hip bone. It was no big deal now. But that little line of discolored skin was exactly what came to her mind that afternoon during the interview. It was the one small reminder of the few hours in their relationship's history when Vanessa had wondered if she had lost, really lost, her Zac.

----------

There were a lot of firsts between Zac and Vanessa in their decade of history. On that particular day they were achieving yet another one. They agreed to be on the daytime talk show together to promote their upcoming movies. There was nothing similar about the movies. The only thing that connected the films was the couple's relationship.

The show's host was one they trusted. They knew she would ask them some witty, yet offhanded questions about their relationship, but then would move on, without pressing them – too much – about their coupledome.

Vanessa danced out onto the stage to the heavy beat of the music playing. Zac followed closely behind her doing his little head-bob dance move to show that he also approved of the tune being played. They made their way over to Ellen, the host, shared hugs with her and then sat down on the couch to chat.

The cheers from the audience continued well after they were seated. Various shots of the crowd showed women of all ages with hands covering their mouths. Vanessa was the headliner on the show today, Zac was simply bonus material. And seeing them together was more than many of the fans could take.

Both were amazed that they had kept the limelight for ten years. But, both would readily admit that it was their enduring relationship that had kept them there. Sure they had been in plenty of movies. Sure, Vanessa had continued singing chart-topping hits. But the truth of the matter was that their private, publicity-wrenching, Hollywood-surviving love was the most alluring part they would ever play.

As the whoops and hollers and clapping died down Vanessa and Zac both looked into the crowd and smiled. Vanessa quietly took Zac's hand on the couch and simply held it. They looked toward Ellen and awaited her first question.

It started with the proverbial, '_What have you been up to?'_ line. The host listened intently as they both listed various projects they were into. Then she moved into the more personal territory.

Ellen jokingly mentioned wedding invitation designs. Vanessa scrunched her nose and answered "Nah." Meaning _that_ was a taboo subject for them to discuss. The audience had all answered with a pouty "Awww." And Zac kept his mouth shut with a simple grin on his face.

So the host moved on with her line of questioning. "You are still dating?"

Vanessa and Zac glanced at each other an answered in unison. "Yep."

"Each other?" Ellen worked to clarify, simply for the audience's benefit and amusement.

Again in unison came the answer. "Yep." They both smiled.

"In the past – what's it been now, ten years? – has there been any time when you thought about a future without each other?" Ellen watched their faces as both pondered the question.

Vanessa looked down at her hands. Zac looked at her wondering what she was thinking. When she looked back at him he offered a hesitant smile. She, in turn, smiled lovingly back at him. Zac noted the tears in her eyes but didn't say a word. They both looked back at their host and answered simultaneously, "Nope."

The crowd assumed the couple had taken the brief moment to really think about their ten-year history. Ellen knew she had asked something genuinely thought provoking. Zac wasn't quite sure what had gone through Vanessa's mind. Vanessa knew she would have to explain the feelings that had ripped through her some seven years ago…feelings that ultimately proved to her that her future was bound and determined to be with Zac.

A few more personal questions had been asked. Ellen inquired about their houses, their pets and their pools. Then the conversation turned to their movies. They watched as movie clips were shown of each, and there was a good three-minute conversation between Zac and Vanessa about the various times that each had visited the other on the movie sets.

Their host smiled at the interaction and just let them talk knowing the audience was enjoying it immensely. She knew the ratings were rising, and mentally gave herself a pat on the back for scoring this rare double interview – slash – Zanessa appearance. It was one for the history books.

By the time the show was done, Zac had forgotten the few awkward moments during the personal interrogation. Vanessa pushed it to the back of her mind but knew it would come up later. It would always be in the back of her mind. And when he was ready to ask, she was ready to talk.

----------

So that's where they were now. They had crawled into bed around 10:30 and watched some random show on tv. They hadn't talked about the interview much over the course of the afternoon, so now both of them were thinking back to it. That's what had shifted Vanessa's attention. Well, that, and the little reminder that would always be there on his body.

As she ran her finger over the scar again Zac took notice. "You're not asleep yet." He ran a hand along her bicep. "What are you thinking about?" He questioned.

Vanessa didn't look up at him. She kept watching her hand which finally stilled just over the incision mark. "The question that Ellen asked today…about our futures being together."

Zac thought back a moment. "Yeah, what was up with that? We've had our little spats and stuff. But seriously, since we got together, was there a time when you thought we would break up?"

Vanessa pulled back from him with eyes wide open. "Break up? No, God no. It wasn't that at all." She answered softly.

Zac's eyes were confused as he looked at her. "Okay, now I'm really curious. What else would pull us apart? My parents adore you. Your parents tolerate me." He smiled knowing Gina and Greg actually had grown to love him like a son. "So it wouldn't be a family issue."

Vanessa moved her hand on his tender skin just above the waistband of his shorts. "It's silly, really." She glanced back down at his body.

Zac scooted up in the bed and looked down at her. "Hey, no secrets. Silly or not, tell me." He encouraged.

Vanessa felt his fingers stroke along her cheek and move underneath her chin. She looked up at him and allowed him to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She pursed her lips together and sighed. "When you had to have surgery, for your appendix. I didn't know what was going on at first and I freaked out a little bit."

Zac shook his head. "That's not silly. I was kinda freaked out too."

Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, but the first couple of hours, when I didn't know what was going on…I didn't know how bad it was…I thought I may have _lost_ you."

It took a minute for Zac to realize what she was saying. He hugged her close and then pulled her even closer to him when he understood the permanent separation that she was referring to.

"Nessa, you never told me that. That's been seven years ago. I know you've never told me that, we haven't talked about it." Zac buried his face into the hair on top of her head. Vanessa had worked hard to hide the momentary heartbreak she had felt so strongly during his bout of appendicitis.

To him, it was just a big pain – in more ways than one – that had nearly screwed up his filming schedule in 2008. Sure he was scared, but the thought of it being a life or death situation had only glanced through his mind. He had been more worried about the production problems he was causing than the swollen, infected organ that was sitting inside his body. Now though, he was realizing what kind of affect it had had on his girlfriend.

----------

"_Damn stomach flu." Zac griped as he got out of the shower that January morning. His hand gripped his stomach as a little bit of nausea struck him. He bypassed breakfast figuring the whole nasty feeling would go away in a couple of hours._

_He was somewhat tense as he answered Vanessa's wake up call before he left the house. "It's just a stomach bug or something. No big deal. I'm going on to work. I'll see you for dinner this evening." He had tried to appease his girlfriend._

"_Zac. You weren't feeling well last night. You said you were just tired. If you've got the flu or something you shouldn't go to work. You're just gonna feel like crap and then you're gonna give it to someone else. How are you gonna feel when the whole production crew comes down with it?" She tried to scold him._

"_I'm not kissing the whole production crew." He snickered._

"_Ah!" Vanessa gasped. "You'd better not be kissing any of the production crew!"_

_Zac laughed and then grasped at his right side to try and stop the shooting pain that had just run through him. "Ouch! Don't make me laugh. That just makes me feel worse."_

"_Zachary. Don't go to the set. Listen, I'll come over there, we'll get you to the doctor and they can give you a shot or something to help you feel better. Just call and tell them you can't be at work today." Vanessa knew he wouldn't listen, but she had promised Starla long ago that she would do her best to take care of him._

_"I'll be fine. Chill, Ness. You don't have to play mom to me, really. I'm 20 years old. I'm a big boy." Zac argued._

_She shook her head and debated calling Zac's director and really taking matters into her own hands. But, she figured she'd give her boyfriend one chance to take care of himself. "When they call me to come pick you up because you're infecting everybody I'm taking you straight to the doctor. And I'll insist that they give you a shot whether you want it or not!" she tried her best to make her voice sound angry._

"_You do that Baby, you do that. You know, you are the first name on my emergency contact list. Just be sure to call Mom and tell her that we're playing doctor. I'm sure she'll enjoy that." Zac tried to joke._

"_Not funny Efron." Vanessa was quite worried about him. "Zac, I'm serious. Let me come take you to the doctor, just to be sure this is a stomach bug."_

_Zac felt her push all joking aside, even through the phone line. "Sweetheart, I would. But we've gotta keep this movie on schedule. I can't miss out on a day of it. If I do then I'll be late getting to the next shoot and then I'll be even later getting back to Utah for part three of our show. I'll take it easy. I promise."_

_She knew she couldn't convince him to stay home. He was a workaholic. And, he enjoyed his work. "Okay, okay…but call me if you start feeling worse. You know I can't even stand it when you have a headache. I don't like to think about something worse. I love you."_

_"Love you too Baby." Zac winced a little as he ended the call. It was gonna be a long day on set._

_----------_

_Instead of getting better, the pain had grown worse as the day progressed. Zac found himself sitting, nearly doubled over, next to his co-star in the lunch tent. "It feels like some alien is trying to tear out of my body." He admitted._

"_Oh, I've had that before. Man, sounds like horrible gas pains. Have you tried taking something for that? Or you could like hang upside down and let all the air bubbles even out inside your body." Tom had joked, but noted the pained look on Zac's face._

"_Dude, I'm serious. I thought this stuff would go away, but I think it's just gettin' worse." Zac wasn't quite sure what he needed to do._

"_Yeah, you're not lookin' too good there big guy. Why don't you go back to your trailer and lay down for a little while. We've got another half hour before lunch is over and you don't have another scene to shoot till like two, right?" Tom suggested._

"_Yeah." Zac agreed. "That's probably a good idea. I'll just let them know that's where I'll be."_

_The big problem hit when he tried to stand up, and couldn't. The growl that came from his throat sounded like a tortured animal. Zac's co-star jumped to his feet and put a hand on Zac's shoulder. "Stay put. I'm gonna go get some help." It was an order from the older actor. One that Zac heeded._

_In the next fifteen minutes a medical crew was working to move the young actor onto a stretcher and wheeling him toward the ambulance. The director pulled Zac's personnel file from the briefcase. He nervously looked at the first name listed in the file for Zac's emergency contacts. Vanessa Hudgens – significant other._

_The director pulled Tom aside and pointed to the name. "Is he serious? Shouldn't I call his parents first? He's looking at a potentially serious medical situation. If this is just a joke…she's his girlfriend, right? His parents really need to know he's headed to the hospital."_

_Tom shook his head. "They're pretty serious. I know they've been together for three years now. He talks about her like she's his wife." They paused a moment knowing they had to make a call to someone. As Tom looked at the names again he realized Zac's parents were three hours away. A call to them would likely send a call to Vanessa anyway to ask her what was happening._

"_Let me give her a call. Zac's parents are out of town anyway. It might be best for her to let them know what's going on." Tom grabbed Zac's cell phone that had been left behind and dialed Vanessa's number._

_Her voice was somewhat joking when she answered the call. It was easy to tell the caller i.d. had given away Zac's number. "So, are you ready for me to come get you and take you to the doctor?" The question hung in the air._

_Tom answered after a few seconds. "Vanessa? Hey this is Tom, Zac's cohort in the movie?" He stopped._

_Vanessa's joking stopped as well. "Hey Tom. Why do you have Zac's phone?"_

"_Well, see, the thing is…Zac started feeling kinda worse around lunchtime. So actually he's headed to the hospital." Tom informed her._

_Vanessa was silent. "Let's not joke about this Tom, okay. If Zac has put you up to this, just tell him I'm not going for it and let me talk to him, please." She waited for Zac's voice to appear on the line._

_Instead Tom started talking again. "I wish I was joking Vanessa, really I do. But I'm not. They have an ambulance taking Zac to Cedars Sinai right now. You were the first person on his emergency contact list. I don't want to upset you or anything. Should I call his parents or someone else here in town?"_

_Vanessa felt the lump forming in her throat for so many reasons. She was replaying the words that Tom just said through her mind. They held so much information, her emotions couldn't decide where to turn first._

_Vanessa looked toward Ashley and Corbin who had joined her for lunch. Both noticed a look of panic on her face along with fear and uncertainty. They waited anxiously for the call to end._

_Vanessa froze. Her calm, reasoning, thinking side worked hard to kick in before she lost her composure. She bent her head toward the ground with the phone still against her ear. "Cedars Sinai, right?" she asked._

"_Yes." Tom answered calmly._

"_Do they have any idea what's wrong?" she continued._

"_He had a fever, over 100. And abdominal pains. He couldn't even stand up because his stomach was hurting so bad." Tom decided he needed to answer her questions to the best of his ability and not hold back._

"_Did he pass out or anything?" Vanessa's calm front was beginning to break down._

"_No. He was awake, but he was in a lot of pain. He wasn't talking, but he wasn't out." Tom described._

_Vanessa sniffled. For the first time the situation was beginning to sink in. Zac was on his way to the hospital, in a lot of pain, feverish, and they didn't know what was wrong. She should've never let him go home the night before. She should've insisted on taking him to the doctor that morning. She should've never let him go to work that day. _

"_Cedars Sinai?" She asked again weakly._

"_Yeah." Tom answered. "Vanessa, he'll be fine. They're going to take care of him and he'll be fine. They left here about ten minutes ago."_

_Vanessa nodded as she felt the tears begin to leak from her eyes. She glanced up at Corbin and Ashley who both now held their own looks of fear. "Thanks Tom, um…I'll call his mom and dad. I'll take care of that. And we'll be in touch, ok?"_

_Tom stood still as he finished the call. "That'd be fine. If you need anything just give us a call. I'll send Zac's phone to the hospital by one of the production assistants. And tell him I'll be by to see him tomorrow, ok? You go take care of him and we'll take care of things here."_

_Vanessa answered softly. "Sure. That sounds good. I'll tell him."_

_She ended the call and looked at her friends. Their friends. Before she could form any sort of words her heart took control. She had an overwhelming feeling of loss surge through her body. It was strong enough that she had to sit down and put her head on the table._

_Corbin and Ashley quickly jumped to her side to try and help. They felt Vanessa shaking under their hands. It wasn't because she was sobbing uncontrollably. She wasn't. Something had shaken her to her core. The friends looked at each other, kept their hands on Vanessa's body to show their support, and then just stayed by her silently._

_Vanessa knew she had to get to the hospital. She knew she couldn't completely lose control now. She didn't even know what was going on. In the past three years since she and Zac had started dating she had felt an absolute sense of security. It was mostly while she was in his arms, or at least in his presence. But even when they were apart, she had felt his calming force. _

_After admitting their love for each other the sense had been even stronger. Even within a devastatingly humiliating situation the prior year Zac had made her feel safe, with him. He had assured her they would always be together; nothing would pull them apart. And, she believed him._

_At the young ages of 19 and 20, medical situations never entered their minds. Until now. Now Vanessa's heart was telling her that one thing could pull them apart. One thing could take her Zac away from her and steal his love. It was situations like this that neither of them had any control over._

_She sat at the table for several minutes with her head resting on her hands. She finally raised her head to look at her friends and wiped the tears from under her eyes._

"_I need to get to Cedars Sinai Hospital. They're taking Zac there. His stomach stuff apparently got worse so they called an ambulance. He's got a fever and is in a lot of pain." Vanessa informed them._

_Corbin and Ashley looked at her and nodded. "Why don't you let me drive you to the hospital." Corbin offered. "Ashley can take your car back to your house and let Gina know what's going on."_

_They both looked at Vanessa, never once taking their hands away from her body. She looked at both of them and nodded. She handed Ashley her keys and then turned to look Corbin directly in his face. "Thanks. I don't want to be by myself right now."_

_Corbin put his hand on her cheek and swiped at her tears. "He'll be fine. You be strong. We're gonna help you be strong. Zac's gonna be alright." He helped Vanessa to her feet and put his arm around her shoulder as they headed toward the parking lot._

_They watched Ashley drive away and then climbed into Corbin's vehicle. He noticed that Vanessa was in a daze. "Ness. You gotta think positive on this. You can't think the worst. We don't even know what's going on yet, so you've gotta stay positive ok?"_

_She continued looking out the window as he started driving. "Corbs? I can't lose him. Not now. I just can't."_

_----------_

_Vanessa and Corbin reached the hospital and hurried into the e.r.. They had decided to try and get some information before calling Starla or David but Vanessa was still nervous about the entire situation._

_They waited at the information desk patiently while the attendant searched for Zac's name. Vanessa's tears were obvious as the older man shook his head. "Are you a member of his family Miss?" _

_Vanessa thought for a moment. "No sir, not directly. I'm his girlfriend though. I'm the first person listed as his emergency contact."_

"_I'm going to have to check with a doctor before we can tell you anything." The man informed her._

_Vanessa looked up at Corbin. Again he saw the fear in her dark brown eyes. He walked Vanessa over to the waiting room while the gentleman went in search of more information. As they sat down Vanessa leaned her head onto Corbin's shoulder._

"_Corbin? Why would Zac put me down as an emergency contact?" Vanessa searched for a tissue in her purse to wipe the tears. Corbin noticed she was shaking again._

_Corbin leaned his head over on top of hers and smiled. "Why do you think he would?"_

"_Because we're good friends and I'm nearby?" Vanessa shook a bit more and tried to squeeze herself closer to Corbin._

"_It's because he loves you V. He trusts you and knows you're going to do all you can to take care of him because you love him too." _

_She didn't answer. Instead she turned her head into Corbin's shoulder and cried. _

_After a few more minutes the attendant came to find Vanessa. "Excuse me, Miss?"_

_Vanessa lifted her head from Corbin's shoulder and looked at the man. "Is he ok?" she asked from her tear-stained face._

"_I don't know. But the nurse can talk to you. If you'll come with me I can take you back there." The gentleman walked ahead of Vanessa and Corbin leading them into a room behind the security door._

_The room was empty. No bed, no heart monitors, nothing to make it look like the place was occupied except for a bag sitting on the floor and a pair of Vans sneakers next to it. _

_Vanessa quickly went to the bag and picked it up finding Zac's clothes and wallet inside. "Why is this here?" she began to breathe shallowly and looked at Corbin with more tears forming in her eyes._

"_Vanessa. He Will Be Fine." Corbin said each word distinctly and pulled a chair around for Vanessa to sit in. "I know you're worried. But do not over think this. Wait for the nurse to come talk to you."_

_Vanessa nodded. He was right. They didn't know anything. And if something was really wrong they wouldn't have brought her back to this room. That's what she would focus on. Still she was nervous and scared. The one person who could calm her fears was the same one who was causing them right now. Zac._

_She sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath. She pulled Zac's wallet out of the bag and began to flip through it. Drivers license, credit card, bank card, emergency card… Out of pure curiosity Vanessa pulled out his emergency card. _

_His name, date of birth and blood type were scrawled on the front along with his address. On the back she noticed a couple of names scratched out and another written messily beside them. She had to look closely to see what he had done. There, in Zac's own scribbles was her name at the top of this emergency list as well. _

_His mother and father's names had been scratched out and moved down to the lower part of the list. Vanessa's name and cell number now appeared at the top. In the blank under 'relationship', next to her name he had simply drawn a heart._

_In her mind the symbol could represent so many possibilities…girlfriend, fiancée, wife… In her heart it meant one thing. He loved her. On that emotion-filled day, she was beginning to realize just how much he loved her and needed her. And, just how much she loved and needed him as well. _

_----------_

"That was the day that I really started understanding what our love was and is. I remember shivering, but I wasn't cold. Corbin put a blanket over me and the nurse offered to get me a warm blanket when she came in and talked to us." Vanessa confessed to Zac.

Zac felt a shiver go through her body again and wrapped his other arm around her as well. "Why didn't you ever tell me about that?"

Vanessa thought for a minute and shook her head. "I guess, till today, I never really could make sense of it. I love my parents, my family. You're part of that family…I've known I loved you since…well, we've had that conversation before." She smiled and placed a soft kiss on his ribs. "But my love for you is different. I can't describe it, it just is. And when they called me that day… it's stupid, I know… but when they said I was on the top of your emergency list… all of a sudden I realized that you put me above your parents. If something was wrong you wanted _me_ to know before anyone else. You wanted _me _to be there for you." She stopped to think.

"Was it too much responsibility? I never thought they'd even have to look at that list. But you're right. You were and are the first person I want to be there for me. Was it too much?" He was beginning to understand some of that overwhelming feeling, even though neither one of them could put it into words.

"No, not at all. I…it was a lot to soak in…plus the fact that you were sick and needed surgery and I had to call Starla. It was a lot. But over and above all that I just knew I had to take care of you…because you loved me, and I loved you."

She sat up and looked at Zac for a moment trying to put a sentence together that would make sense of the complicated conversation.

"I've spent my life growing up and thinking about moving away from mom and dad. I love them with all my heart, but being independent from them was a life-long goal. But Zac, when we met and started dating and then when we figured out that we were in love…it was the opposite. I started thinking about being with you. I want to be _with_ you, not _get away_ from you. And that day, when I thought I might…I might lose you...it just made me sick to think about it...about the possibility of _not_ being with you. I love you Zac. I want to be with you, as close to you as I can be, for as long as I can be."

Zac didn't reply to her. Instead he gently pulled her back down to him and guided her to lay her head back on his chest. He took her hand in his and moved it down his toned body until her warm palm rested once again over his scarred skin.

"I love you too Nessa, with all my heart. I'm right here, we're here together, and I love you too."

**________________________________________________________________**


End file.
